How to Become A Chieftain
by Positivelythatredheadgirl
Summary: Hey there! This stroy formed after watching the newest HTTYD film, The hidden world, and I felt inspired to write this story. I want to try and capture what it would be like as they live in a world surrounded by dragons, to one without. From transforming from a young adult to a parent and more! Patreon: @ScarletteAsh
1. A day to be wed

The village stood below, peering up, watery-eyed, at the lovely couple before them. A once young, clumsy and infantile boy, transformed before their eyes into a broad shouldered, self assured, young man. They had seen him take on more as each year had passed, yet it shocked most of them to see him now, with the lovely Astrid. How she had grown as well. Once rather tall and thin, now seemed womanly and tender eyed, outgrowing her Tomboyish attitude.It was the end of winter, with sunny days and a swift warm breeze promising spring. The snow was melting, but still on the ground.

The couple stood, hands clasped, the ceremonial cloth wrapped around their hands, joined in union. Tears would flow from each strong and beaming face, even the reluctant and strong willed.Hiccup tenderly kissed his sweet love, embracing her afterward, kissing her quickly on the nape of her neck. The crowd below bellowed with joy, as the couple bowed and parted through the crowd.The dancing and music, continued long into the night. Astrid and Hiccup snuck away from the group, the music carrying into the night over the cliffs. Shouts of laughter and egging on burst intermittently.


	2. A talk below the Stars

Hiccup had cleared a spot out of the snow for them to sit, and had laid down a blanket. Despite the chilly evening, neither were seized by shivering.

"Are you thinking about him?" Astrid asked, eyes dreamy, but unseen.

Today had been a whirlwind, but the official mark of a new life. One she hadn't expected to be excited about, but a rush of thrill and contentment had filled her heart.Hiccup worried his bride would be agitated, or disheartened of his true feelings.

Sensing his apprehension, she added, a tear twinkling in the corner of her eye, "Stormfly was on my mind. I love our life and I love you. Yet, I couldn't help think about her...about how different our lives could have been without dragons. How different it will be now, without them."

Hiccup squeezed her hand, and used his other to wipe a stream of tears from his eyes. He sniffled a little, as did she."Toothless opened up a door, a way of life...acceptance, growing, openness, that I never imagined. A life I never could have imagined. Change brought this life to us and change is what will keep pushing us forward. The people of Berk are an adaptable people."

Astrid grinned at his profound deduction. "You sound like a mature chief already."

Hiccup gave an honest chuckle and put his arm around her. "I have thought about toothless and the dragons throughout the day. It's scary to think our connection to them is done. But I realized that will never be the case. They will be ours, in our hearts and memories, just as we are in theirs and to them. Today I decided that, and I realized how thankful I am to have you. We have each other."

"And that's what really matters." She agreed.

Hiccup smiled as Astrid leaned into his chest.


	3. No Hello’s Here

Astrid looked down at her sleeping husband. Generally he was the first one up, sitting in his dad's chair, making plans on new buildings and town structures. Now that he was married, Hiccup finally relaxed a little and tried to focus on his wife, though s he disapproved of being doted on. Yet he couldn't help himself.

Two weeks had passed since their wedding day, yet it felt like they had been united so much longer. Astrid reflected on how quickly the days were going by, but so full of love and contentment. Only slight moments struck them when they noticed the gaps of life without their sweet dragons. Life surely was different, but the people of Berk adjusted accordingly.

Sporting something passing the window quickly, Astrid rose to the window quickly. She quietly whispered, "Toothless?!"

As she approached the window, she saw it was just a black crow above, circling back around to land on a branch across from their window.

Hiccup sat up quickly, heart pounding.

"Did you see that?" Astrid exclaimed, wondering if she accidentally roused him from his sleep.

"See what?" He wipes sleep from his eyes, propping himself up, looking at her with a sweet smile.

Astrid blushes, feeling embarrassed at believing she saw something so unrealistic. Hiccup beckoned her to crawl into his arms, and she obeyed contentedly.

Kissing her softly, he asked, "What did you see?"

Her face flushed, she responded, "I thought I saw Toothless fly swiftly past the window."

Eyes beaming lightly, Hiccup replied, "It was a crow?"

Astrid nodded sheepishly.

"Don't be embarrassed, I still do double takes at anything that flies by or above me," grinning and joining in on the blushing, he continued, "I've even been drawn to wander around the island, hoping he'll drop in just to say hello."


	4. Gobber’s drop in

"The people have missed their chief their lovely chieftess."

"Good to know we are still liked around here," Hiccup joked elbowing Gobber.

"The people are interested in how we are going to continue with trading, our upcoming possible voyages and building more ships."

Hiccup looked out at the village before him. His father, Stoick the Vast, always seemed self assured and confident. While Hiccup's confidence had grown significantly, it was regarding dragons and solving those issues. Daily living seemed a whole new daunting task.

"What are the popular opinions of the people?"

Gobber grinned, pleased this young chieftain was headed in the right direction of guiding the people. "New Berk is fairly self-sustaining. But we cannot reasonably expect to be hidden from the world, though we are far off from it, it seems."

Rubbing his chin, Hiccup pondered what their next move should be. "Tomorrow, let's have a small group scope out the island entirely to see where our best port will be. Also, we'll need the ship building crew back in action. Have them tell us what they need for supplies and materials and we will see what the island provides. The farming is going well?"

Gobber nodded agreeably, feeling swept over in disbelief. This was a once young scraggly child who shamed his father with dreams of nonsense? Of course, those dreams led to the benefit of the people of Berk.

Gobber itched his knee near his stumpy leg. "Is the new blacksmith shop working well for you?"

"Aye, I like it more than the one I had in Old Berk. Just missin' a few familiar faces."

Hiccup smiled, a swift rush of sadness passed through him, knowing Gobber referred not only to himself, but also his dragon, Grump.

"Me too, buddy, me too," straightening his stance and changing his voice to a more excited one he said, "Will you let me crew and a few other able bodied men and women that we are going on an excursion tomorrow?"

"Aye-aye!" Gobber said, excitement sweeping over him.


	5. A moment with Mom

"Did you hear that? The chief wants me to go along with him on a mission," Snotlout proudly boomed, pounding his fist to his chest, bowing his head, as to be receiving honor and praise.

Sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes, Ruffnut exclaimed, "He invited all of us you dingus."

"And wherever my love goes, I should too!" Fishlegs declared, leaning in close to her.

Tuffnut made a gagging noise.

"You're isn't jealous," Ruffnut toyed, twirling Fishlegs' mustache with her index finger and thumb, causing him to turn a shade of red no one had yet seen.

This also resulted in almost everyone but the two, leaving the mess hall.

Valka sat, legs dangling over a cliff, eyes jumping from each passing cloud overhead. The breeze swiftly twirled here and there, causing her her to drift and dance and spin.

"It's a strange thing to ache for, knowing some never the chance," Valka said, as Hiccup walked towards her.

Hiccup smirked, knowing he had failed to catch her off guard. Sitting beside her, he dangled his metal leg over the edge and hugged his other knee.

She glanced over at him, their eyes met happily, then they turned to peer at the open vastness before them.

"Will you be accompanying us tomorrow on our trip to explore the island?"

"I wouldn't miss it. I've even thought about doing some more traveling…"

The whistling of the wind seemed to interrupt her.

Hiccups heart dropped then thumped. He thought about how he just got her back, was he ready to lose her again?

Sensing his hidden dismay, Valka said, "It's just thoughts of a dreamer. Don't worry. I don't think I could actually leave."


	6. A Race to Reason

**Hey there! I wanted to let you know that this chapter is quite a bit longer than most of my chapters thus far, but I felt it was fitting as there is a lot more movement and activity. The smaller ones felt right ending where they were to allow the special moments to be highlighted, short and sweet. **

**Also, I did a bunch of research on ropes, ways to descend a cliff, and cliffs around the united states to visualize and try to realistically describe what it would have been like. It was truly terrifying, as I am afraid of heights, but it was kinda fun too. Enjoy!**

Hiccup arose early, excitement rushing through his body. Astrid was up shortly after, but ready just as quickly.

The small group assembled outside of the main meeting hall. The group included himself, Astrid, Valka, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, fishlegs, Eret, and a few other men and women.

Gobber stayed back to keep an eye on the village and make sure things were running smoothly.

Setting out, the group headed northeast and surveyed the edge of the island, looking for any decent spots to build a port.

"So are we gonna start trading with people?" Snotlout asked, peering up at Valka, flexing his muscles slightly.

Valka held in her chuckles and chimed in, "I believe Hiccup just wants us to be ready and prepared in case something were to come up? The island has many wonderful resources, including fresh water springs, lakes and fish in them. But we should have some ships ready in case."

Hiccup nodded, while mapping out their route.

Astrid was behind with Ruffnut and Tuffnut, they were leaving markers along the way, to allow for quick trips up the shore.

"I believe the best access point will be in the northwest, since it appears to be the best access point."

Hiccup stated, stopping before a large clearing on the shore.

It only took a little over 2.5 hours for them to reach the rocky, northern tip of the island. By the time they reach to the north western edge of the island, it had been a three hour trek. Pick up appeared over the cliff, seeing how steep it truly was, even on the lowest point.

Eyeing him knowingly and elbowing him, Tuffnut said, "Don't worry Hick, I'll climb down for you."

Pick up cocked his head, and amused smile on his face. " not sure how you reach that conclusion, but I honestly don't think climbing down will be our best bet."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut had already begun racing towards the edge to see who could get down the quickest, when they both frozen looked up at Hiccup.

"What do you suppose that we get our dragons to bring us down?" Ruffnut retorted, eyes cast down, seeming surprised at her own sarcasm.

A pang of guilt rushed over her, as everyone felt a little sorrowful as the distance between them and their dragons was felt in a strong pang.

Astrid cleared her throat and declared, " We can do this on our own! It's going to be a challenge, but I think it something we can accomplish if we work together!"

Her certain proclamations seem to lift the spirits of everyone, and they got to work.

A camp was set up to allow everyone to rest from the days travels. Hiccup leaned against a log, Astrid in his arms. The fire blazed in front of them, the flames reflecting in their eyes. "I'm so proud of you." Astrid's voice was sleepy and sweet.

Hiccup blushed and kissed her forehead. "Just doing what I'd hope my dad would want, though I'm not sure they are all things he would have wanted."

"That's not a bad thing."

"I know… There's more to do and direct than I expected."

She smirked, "It's immensely different than exploring on the back of dragon?"

"Absolutely more dangerous too," he bantered.

The next morning, Hiccup sent half of them to search for, and collect materials from the woods to begun constructing the stairs and eventual dock. The rest, which included his main group, Astrid, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs, along with a few able bodied men, peered over the cliff. They would find the best way to descend the cliff, and the best places to build off of.

Snotlout and Fishlegs were given the task to search for any possible walking off areas, and Tuffnut and Hiccup helped tie off Astrid and Ruffnut.

"I am not in love with the idea of sending my wife over a cliff."

An amused look struck on Astrid's face. "You've never expressed being afraid of us rushing into danger before."

Clearing his throat, Hiccup opened his mouth, but closed it. He didn't want to hold her back from something she was determined to do. "Trust me, this will be fun and exciting!" Astrid reassured, thrill exuding from her.

Hiccup's breathing felt sharp, but he nodded. He felt frustrated at his hesitation.

"Wanna race down?" Ruffnut challenged Astrid.

"You bet!" Astrid countered, face determined.

The two descended quickly, feeling secure with the two strong Vikings holding on to their ropes. Each individual rope was wrapped around its own tree for extra reinforcement.

Astrid descent was quick and nimble, a combination of being lowered and rappelling herself. Ruffnut hollard at the viking lowering her, demanding he did so faster. Astrid clearly won, as Ruffnut continued to hollar, excitement and thrill overshadowing her disappointment.

The cliff was steep, yet a few bases jutted out, and they stopped on one, which appeared to be 40 feet below the top of the cliff with another 80 feet below them to the ocean's surface.

The view was equally as impressive from this lower level.

"Want to race back up?" Ruffnut shouted, over the wind.

"Sure," Astrid smirked, seeming to be playing along.

Ruffnut gave a large tug on the rope to signal she would begin ascending the great cliff. Scampering up, she looked down to see that Astrid hadn't even moved, still gazing into the sky.

Astrid stood still, tears welling in her eyes. New Berk was the most beautiful place she had ever laid her eyes on. She had a sense of peace and solace in that moment. She missed Stormfly more than she could ever put into words, or even express with tears, but this serene moment flowed through her, causing her to know with certainty that life was going to be perfect from this moment on. For humans, and for dragons.


	7. Directing like a Chieftain

The following months comprised of Hiccup directing several plans. The first included a hunting group sent to explore the different resources the island provided, including animals and plants. The second project was to send a building crew to the northwest edge of the island to create a lifting system and dock for building ships. This would follow the footholds and plans Astrid and Ruffnut had laid out. Fishlegs helped with the building crew project, and was later reassigned to the first project. His potential as a medicine guide showed through when he stopped several men from eating various poisonous plants. How he acquired this knack, know one understood, but all appreciated.

As Hiccup reviewed the village farming plans, Astrid approached him, giving him a nudge on the arm, then a long soft kiss on the side of his cheek.

Cheeks flustered, Hiccup cleared his throat then said, "I've put Eret in charge of the hunting crew. I thought it best since he doesn't mind being away from the village as much as the others. Fishlegs, I mean, Lil-big Minnow, is setting up a shop on the edge of the village for quick access."

Fishlegs earned the name when he caught the largest minnow anyone had laid eyes upon, even in Old Berk waters. He was quite proud of his large minnow and joked with his comrades to wait until he was able to fish in the ocean!

Astrid sat beside him as he peered at the papers in front of him one last time before he made eye contact with his lovely wife.

"It sounds like you've got everything under control. Do you feel like you should delegate anything else? It seems like you've got a lot on your shoulders still."

Hiccup was not able to discern if Astrid meant it as a compliment that he was being a productive chief, or if she was bothered by how active he was.

"I don't want to be useless."

Brow furrowing slightly, Astrid replied, "I'm proud of you. I just feel like I should be doing more…"

Her voice trailed off.

While her friends were off directing and overseeing large aspects of life, she was stationed within the village. She was the go-to for any issues or concerns, and making sure the people were content.

A warm smile spreading on his face, Hiccup put his arm around his wife lovingly. "If anything, I feel like you could use an assistant. You've been awfully busy with people going to you instead of me."

Responding with a smile, Astrid said with a wink, "I'll take 3."

"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed.

Smoke filled the mysterious cave she was in. She tried to focus her eyes but she could hardly keep them open. Her body became heavy and her breathing labored. Slowly she dropped to the ground, sinking further into the darkness of her mind.

"Astrid!" Hiccups voice called, worry ringing clearly.

Astrid opened her eyes. She was in Hiccups arms, safely in their bed. The embers of their fire were almost out, fall was coming in, along with the cold.

As she came to, Astrid sat up. "Bad dream?"

She nodded, embarrassed. "Did I scream?"

"No screaming, just making noises and slight thrashing around."

Cheeks burning, she said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Hiccup smiled, then kissed her nose. He got up to stoke the fire, and climbed in beside her.

"I feel like I haven't had anything happen to cause these dreams. Grimmel was scary, but nothing I couldn't handle." Astrid was displeased that something unrealistic could bother her so.


	8. Eret’s message

Astrid pulled her head up, it felt so heavy. Blinking several times to get her eyes to focus, she saw Hiccup asleep in his father's chair, a pencil dangling from his fingers, ready to fall any moment. Papers were scattered across the floor, spilling from his lap.

Astrid grinned at the sight, then went to kiss him on his forehead. He winced slightly, but continued to snooze. She gazed at the stubble that had slowly begun to grow actively, in a matter of months.

She knelt down to the fire, putting a pot of water over it. Scooping a mix of leaves and flower petals into a cup, she poured the steaming water into her cup, and sat in the chair beside her husband.

Her head had a slight dull ache, but she ignored it, hoping today would be a sunnier one than yesterday.

Sipping the hot water mix, she thought about the last few years.

Life had been intense, ever changing. While there were changes going on new New Berk, such as the new construction, Ruffnut and Lilbig Minnow being wed, her new job; it was all a calm lull compared to their life before.

Resting her face in her palm, she couldn't help but smile. Feeling she knew herself as the adventurous Tom-boy, she was taken aback they she now cherished her simple life.

Peering up, she saw Hiccup shyly gazing at her.

Jumping a little she said, "Oh… I didn't know you woke up."

Sitting up, stretching his neck and cracking it, then moving on to his arms and back, he exclaimed, "What a night! Have I been in this chair all night?"

"On and off."

Looking apologetic, he replied, "There are a few more port related issues I was sorting out."

"It's alright. I'm just glad you slept well."

"I did." Hiccup had a dopey, but lovestruck look on his face.

"What?" Astrid asked, feeling the knowing look in his eyes. She sat back and curled her legs into her chest, pulling a blanket around her tightly.

"You looked so serene, lost in your thoughts." Hiccup smiles, reach across, holding her face gently, kissing her lips softly.

Suddenly there was a loud pounding on the door. "Sir! Chief!"

They both jumped, Hiccup rushed to the front of their home quickly. Astrid pulled the blanket higher over her body, her night shirt not covering much. Although they could have their bedroom upstairs, they both preferred a small cozy area by the fire on the main level.

"What's going on?" Hiccup opened the door, gazing down, but raising his eyes upward.

Eret stood there, sturdy, but frantic.

"A moment please, sir?!"

Hiccup looked back at his wife, nodded, then followed Eret.

Filling Hiccup in, he explained that somehow a few men from the hunting group never returned last night, and no one noticed until this morning. Snotlout was among the missing men. They stood in the village square.

"Form a search party of about 2 groups, with 5 in each, and go to the hunting lodge to see if you can figure out which map they took… if they took one at all." Hiccup rubbed his chin, which surprised him, as he felt more hair. "How many men went out last night?"

"6, sir." Eret's panic seemed to change into a determined look.

"Can you get Tuffnut to assemble a few emergency kits, with rope, bandages and whatever else he may think is necessary?"

While Tuffnut may have seemed fairly immature, he had become handy at helping fix up cuts and bandaging wounds. Though the twins were known for seeming apathetic, they turned out to be quite the caregivers. Ruffnut worked primarily as an assistant to her now husband, Lilbig Minnow, Hiccup shuddered at the thought, while also working with her brother on occasion.

"I'll go and get Astrid, count us in a group together. I'll get my suit."

Nodding, Eret ran to gather the group as Hiccup told him.

Bursting through the door, causing Astrid to jump, Hiccup yelled, "We've got some men to save."


	9. The Cave

Astrid felt a bit guilty at her inward excitement. Though she had just decided her life was perfect, she couldn't help but buzz internally about the adventure.

Climbing into her suit, she helped Hiccup with his.

"Do we know where they went?"

"No, but Eret will be looking over their routes and seeing if they took any specific plans with them."

"I heard talk this week about an exciting new area The was discovered by the lake."

Hiccup looked up intensely. He was not as excited as her, and her chest panged with more guilt.

"Supposedly there are some caves nearby. They thought maybe some animals would take refuge in their?" Astrid knew at once, that is where they were going to look first.

"Echoooo…" Tuffnut hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth.

The three groups stood, peering into the large cave, a stream of water flowing from the lake inside. The cave was split into two sides, the stream dividing it. The water streamed lazily into the darkness. The cave had been well hidden, down below the lake's shore. While tall, the entrance was down from view on the side of the lake the villagers frequented.

Hiccup directed, his voice calm, "Minnow, take your group and begin searching the woods. I don't want us all down here if they are somewhere else." Minnow exhaled, grateful. "Everyone else, let's venture on in there."

"Into the dark vast mysterious-ness?" Tuffnut asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes, into the darkness." Hiccup sounded uneasy, but lit the torch he held in his hand, and walked into the cave unflinchingly.

Astrid grinned with a smug expression, looking directly at Tuffnut.

"You heard him, c'mon." Eret reinforced.

The group moved along, crossing into the darkness.

"Not eerie at all…" Tuffnut complained.

Their torches were glowing, carrying along the walls of the cave.

"Snotlout." Hiccup called, the others followed with their calls.

Astrid fought back a yawn, as she climbed down the cliff within the cave.

"Everything okay?" Hiccup looked over at her, though she was barely visible in the residual light of the fire.

Nodding reassuringly, she continued to descend.

They had discovered to openings and each team had taken one. The cave Hiccup and Astrid were in had a large cliff that descended to several underground pools.

Astrid had been feeling tired all week, but she assumed it was due to the coming fall and winter.

Reaching the ground, the pair lit their torch and called up to everyone to follow them on their ropes.

"I'll find us something to eat, don't worry.." They heard someone shout up ahead across the pool.

"Snotlout!" Hiccup hollard, waving his torch.

"Hey guys!" Snotlout and the others shouted, relief in their voices.

Looking at the area, Hiccup could see there was no path to get across to where they were.

"How did you get across there?" Hiccup asked, rubbing his chin. The amount of hair shocked him again.

"We… swam." Snotlout said. "Look at this."

As he said this, he dove gracefully into the pool before them. The water was dark. Suddenly, lights lit up the water and radiated the whole room around them.

Stingrays swam, lighting up, carrying Snotlout above the water.

"What are they?" Astrid bent down, as one lifted a wing out for her to graze her fingers on.

Baby ones popped up and did clumsy flips in front of her. She giggled as they accidentally flopped onto one another.

The team helped the group climb up the cliff with their ropes. Snotlout explained they followed the glow and accidentally tumbled down the cliff in the dark. They promised to be more cautious next time.

Sitting around the fire, Hiccup smiled at his friends before him.

"What are you thinking about?" Astrid asked, leaning into Hiccup.

"This island has so many secrets, and we are just learning about them. I wonder what surprises we will find out next."

Leaning in, Astrid kissed his cheek and said, "I have one for you."

Raising his eyebrows he looked at her curiously.

"We are going to have a baby."

Whoops rang around the fire as everyone heard and threw Hiccup around, declaring his proud moment loudly.


	10. Village

"Rub this on your stomach twice daily and it should help prevent… stretch marks." Tuffnut said, a smirk on her face.

"Don't look too excited about my… condition." Astrid said, returning the smirk.

"I'm just glad you came to me for help. It's about time you two had a baby."

"Thanks to you and your books I knew the symptoms."

Tuffnut looked proud, and a genuine smile stretched across her face. Seeming to snap out of her happy daze she concluded, "This is gross. Why don't you take some more flowers on your way out for your stomach, you'll likely get sick often, and come back for any other symptoms."

Grinning, with an armful of supplies, Astrid thanked Tuffnut and strolled out of her shop.

Instead of heading home, Astrid detoured toward the edge of town. She eyed the last of the flowers, some were still vibrant in color, fighting to stay despite the cooling weather. Humming, she picked a couple flowers. She realized she could add them to her collection of flowers to brew.

Looking out in the water, Astrid saw a spec on the horizon. It was heading beside their island, far in the distance. A chill ran up her spine. It indicated nothing, except she felt their peace and serenity could be compromised.

A bleakness cast over her mood and she rushed home. Hiccup was still at the Chamber meeting, overseeing the port situation.

She had the urge to rush down to the meeting and declare the port a terrible idea. She thought of the small infant growing within her, who could be subjected to outsiders, traders, trouble makers. Was she being unreasonable? Should she share these precious Island treasures with the world?

Jumping from the thought of sharing the island she began wondering how she was going to care for an infant. Sure Hiccup was matured, and her pace slowed down, but how could they raise a child? It takes a village, her mother would always say. A village was another positive they had, a village made up of families and friends they had known their whole lives. Hopefully a port wouldn't change that.

**Authors note: Sorry it took me so long, not long after I shared my last chapter, I found out I'm having my own baby! I'm due any day now and I get to spend my last quiet moments writing :) **


	11. PleaseStay

The middle of fall brought construction of the port in the north east part of the island. Eret volunteered to build his home near it and keep an eye on it once it was up and running. Several ships had been built by the villagers, and were ready to be lowered down the pulley once the port was completed.

Hiccup stood near the edge of the cliff, observing the work being done on the port. Valka approached, catching Hiccup off guard.

"Are you having a crew go out to explore?" She asked, making Hiccup jump.

"Your stealth is incredible," he said, grabbing his chest.

Hiccup was reluctant to answer his mom's questions, knowing her line of thinking would likely lead to an answer he wouldn't like.

"There aren't any specific plans at the moment. We are taking steps to be ready, in case anything comes up."

She nodded, and remained silent.

Hiccup could feel she had something else on her mind, but still felt apprehensive to ask her what it was.

"Aren't you worried?" Valka finally asked, looking directly at Hiccup instead of the workers.

"Yes, I'm worried about everything. About being a dad…" he half chuckled at the thought of being a dad, "about this port bringing in people to the island, losing the security we have. I'm afraid you're going to get tired of this place and have an itch to leave. I'm afraid I'll fail as Chief, I won't live up to dad's huge shadow. Literally, I'm not even much over half his height!"

Valka grinned, then touched the side of his face, which was now entirely encapsulated by a thick beard. How her son had grown just over the short time she had become reacquainted with him.

"Oh Hiccup, I don't plan on leaving. I do have an itch to travel, but this island has much to be explored yet, and I need to see my grand baby. This port worries me, but you've spoken of how much Berk has benefited from change, and you're right. Now is not the time to become stagnant."

Hiccup smiled and put his hand over hers, feeling his confidence rise a little.

"I still wish I were taller," he said, causing Valka to chuckle.


End file.
